The Dogs of Toronto Animal Services South

Mariah is a constant chatterbox. She will let you know, from the moment you take her out, her opinions on everything. She will tell you she loves walks, loves meeting people, loves laps. She's telling you all these things because she's worried the world will pass her by and she doesn't want to miss another moment.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Porkchop is turning into a bean stalk, from chub pup to lanky adolescent. Still adorable though except for the sharp puppy teeth which she very much likes to use to explore the world, especially sticks and shoelaces and leashes. She's a smarty so that shouldn't be too difficult to train out. Already knows how to sit, pretty good at the housebreaking thing too. And her ears will melt you.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

Freckles leans against the door to her kennel and looks at me. She presses her head into the wire mesh. I go over and say hello, scratch her ear through the mesh. She sinks to the ground on her back, waits for a belly rub. "I'll be back in a bit," I say to her as I've got a couple of other dogs to walk first. She looks at me like I've done her wrong.

Later, I take Freckles out with another volunteer who's walking Delia. Delia's a pipsqueak. The two want to play but leashes get tangled and Freckles steps on Delia. I pull Freckles back but Delia keeps barking at Freckles to keep playing. Freckles wants to oblige so she pulls. Leashes tangle. Freckles steps on Delia. Repeat. It's too bad the management at Exhibition Place won't oblige Toronto Animal Services by allowing them to put up a fenced in run. It would be fun to watch Freckles and Delia off leash in supervised play.

Freckles is adorable. I don't how anyone could've given her up. Maybe there's a sad story there. Well, any story with a dog being abandoned is a sad story but you know what I mean. I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be very different for Freckles. I'm pretty sure whoever gets Freckles next is going to hang onto her for life.

The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.

A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------